


Catch and Release

by princessdragonsun



Series: Kingdom Hearts: The Time Before [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Ava is adorable, Canon Compliant-for now, Gen, I didn't realize how well this actually fit until I did a little research, Maybe Kingdom Hearts 3 spoilers? If there are they're vague, Symbolism, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Writing this before they are ruined for me, Young Foretellers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-28 10:11:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18754330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessdragonsun/pseuds/princessdragonsun
Summary: Ava catches fireflies and the Master of Masters teaches her a life lesson.A life lesson wrapped in an enigma, of course.





	Catch and Release

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write a cute one-shot about two of my favorite characters before they're completely ruined for me whenever the war or whatever referenced at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3 comes to pass. So here's Ava being adorable and the MoM being the MoM.

The Master of Masters was sure that he'd taken responsible kids under his wing. Or at least, ones that could _mostly_ take care of themselves for when he was busy. He assumed that would also apply to his youngest, Ava. Apparently not since dinner was almost ready and she was absolutely nowhere to be found. The Master checked in with the eldest of the apprentices only for them to report that they hadn't seen her in several hours. 

The man was thinking of all the possible places she could have been hiding when he passed a disheveled Gula and Luxu in the halls. He didn't think much of it considering they sparred playfully often and were probably heading to the kitchen. That is until he heard Ava's name filter through their conversation. Turning around abruptly, he rushed over to them and grasped the boys' shoulders. He purposefully ignored their startled jumps as he cut in.

"You two seen Ava recently?"

Gula sagged in what the Master perceived as relief to which the hooded man made a mental note to pester him about what he was hiding later. The second boy, clad in the same dark coat as his master, turned his head back in the direction they came from.

"She's still coming. We went out to play with her a little while ago."

The Master clapped their shoulders and sent them off with a 'thank you' and a promise for dessert. Continuing on his way, he eventually heard Ava's soft voice talking about... something. He nearly ran into the girl as he rounded a corner, prompting startled yelps from both. The Master placed a hand over his heart as if that would help calm its thundering and let out an exaggerated sigh. Ava, on the other hand, simply clutched a glass jar to her chest, her large sleeves hiding the contents.

"There you are, kiddo! Whatcha got there?"

The little girl brightened considerably at the question and lifted the jar into view. The Master knelt down in front of her to get a better view of the tiny insects flitting around in their glass prison, taking note of their occasional blinking lights that were dim in the light of the clocktower. He could count seven of them. Seven tiny lights flickering in the jar. The bitter irony hit him harder than expected. Of course, if anyone could do that, it was Ava.

"Fireflies! Gula and Luxu helped me catch them! Aren't they pretty, Master? I can't wait to show Ira!"

The Master smiled softly at her bright innocence, wondering if the older boys had explained to her what one did when they caught fireflies.

"Hey, Ava, what do you know about fireflies?"

"Um... They're little bugs that glow?"

Huffing a laugh, the man gently tapped the glass with his index finger, "Fireflies don't come out when the sun is shining because then no one can see their lights. But when darkness falls, those tiny lights illuminate the land and put on a show for all those who come out to see them. They symbolize the light in our hearts, hope, guidance, inspiration, and awakening."

"Wow...!"

Getting to the point, the Master added seriously, "You catch as many fireflies as you want, Ava, but there's something you need to remember. _Always_ let them go shortly after you catch them. They'll die if you keep them for too long."

A tiny gasp came from the girl's parted lips and a frown made a way onto her soft features, "Can I keep them until after dinner?"

"Mm... How about halfway through?"

"Deal!"

He held a hand out to her to which she practically jumped on, "All right, then! Let's go show the others your little friends."

The Master of Masters could only hope she would remember that lesson in the future even if it was only subconscious. It was the best he could do for now to prepare her for what was to come.

_I can't let my sentimentality cause temporal paradoxes._

 

Ava stared silently at the list she'd been given by the Master. These five children would become the guiding lights of her Dandelions. She thought deeply of her master's analogy and, while a very fitting one, she thought of them more like the fireflies she used to catch when she was younger. Little lights she caught before the darkness could take them only to let them go later and spread hope and life to their future.

She hummed a quiet, bitter laugh to herself. Her nostalgia wasn't going to get her anywhere at that moment. Wishing for days long gone would only make things harder for her when the time came. The war was going to happen and that was that, no matter how hard to swallow it was. Still, her mind went back to those simpler days of catching fireflies with Gula and Luxu and showing the Master her tiny friends.

**Author's Note:**

> At this point, I know the Master of Masters is likely a villain but I HATE that! I only recently became a fan of Kingdom Hearts and my first exposure to it was Back Cover. I ADORED the characters, Ava and the Master of Masters especially, and I was really, really upset when they all ended up fighting. If the MoM and the Foretellers do end up being the people that the Guardians of Light have to fight, I'm really hoping it's as a neutral force rather than that of darkness. Because honestly, the way I saw the Master was as a neutral force following the future he saw. I think that the whole "I have to follow the flow of time. I can't let my sentimentality cause any temporal paradoxes." is his game rather than "Hey, I can take over the world if I want to."  
> Anyway-enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoyed!


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